Bridge for cutting in new loops in telephone systems



(No Model.) I

G. S. MAXWELL.

BRIDGE FOR CUTTING IN NEW LOOPS IN TELEPHONE SYSTEMS.

No. 394,195. Patented Dec. 11, 1888.

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GEORGE SEYMOUR MAXIVELL, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

BRIDGE FOR CUTTING IN NEW LOOPS IN TELEPHONE SYSTEMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,195, dated December 11, 1888.

Application filed December 13, 1887. Serial No. 257,791. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatI, GEORGE SEYMOUR MAX- WELL, a citizen of the 'United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridges for Cutting in New Loops in Telephone Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

This invention relates to telephone systems. Heretot'ore, in putting in new loops or in connecting new switch-boards or other apparatus with original circuits or telephone systems already established, it has been necessary to cut into all the circuits and extend them to the new switch-boards or instruments, thereby leaving the circuits open and the system useless while testing and splicing the cable, the loss of time thereby to the system in each case being from one to two hours. Second, in thus connecting new switch-boards there is much trouble and dilticulty in cutting, testing, and splicing the cables. Third, splices so made frequently prove to be defective, requiring to be undone and repaired in places dir'ficult to be reached and dilficult to work in; and, fourth, the unsightly appearance of the ordinary splices of cables is objectionable.

The object of my invention is to obviate these various objections; and to this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a bridge for telephone systems, hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I represents a telephone system showing my invention. Fig. II is a perspective View of a simple form of my invention. Fig III represents a telephone system showing my invention connectin two sets of switch-boards.

In Fig. I, 5 represents one circuit, and 6 another circuit, each provided with springjacks 7, one at each of the four sections of the multiple switchboard. Two subscribers telephones are shown, one of which is represented at 8 and one at 9.

10 represents one test-line, and 11 another.

12 represents common connecting-plugs, and 13 the cords thereto, whereby any two jacks in the system may be connected.

14 is a cam-lever for cutting in and out of the circuit the central-ofiice telephone 15.

BI represents voltaic batteries connected with the oflice-telephones 15 and 16.

17 is the connecting-plug of the telephone 16 in the actof testing to see whether the line is in service.

18 represents one ground, 20 the drop or annunciator, and :21 another ground to circuit 5.

19 represents one ground for circuit 6, 22 its drop or annunciator, and 23 another ground.

The best method which I have thus far devised for adapting my invention to telephone systems is to locate it in the central office and connect it with each one of the circuits between the lastjack or switchboard thereof and its drop or annunciator. It is here shown connected with the wire 25 of the circuit 6, between the last jack, 7, and its drop, 22.

26 and 27 represent two supports, which I prefer to make of metal suitable forconducting electricity. These supports, which I call pins, pass through and are rigidly fixed in a stationary non-coiuluctor, 28. The end of the circuit-wire 25 is to be permanently secured upon one of these supports, 26, and another wire, 20, which connects with the drop 22, is to be permanently secured to the other support, 27, and a short-circuit wire, 30, which I call a bridge-wire, is to be temporarily secured to the two supports 26 and 27, completing the original circuit.

\Yhen it shall become necessary at any future time to add a new loop or circuit to the system, the most convenient way to do so is to attach the wire of the new loop to the opposite ends, 31 and 32, of the pins 26 and 27. In the meantime the short-circuit wire or bridge being undisturbed the circuit of the original system is not broken and business may continue thereon uninterrupted. Then when the new cable has been tested, the connections properly made, and all the fixtures ready, it is only necessary to cut out the short-circuit or bridge wire 30 and the circuit will be complete through the new loop 33.

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34 represents a pin or support, with one end of which the test-line 11 is to be permanently connected, and from the other end of which a new test-line, 35, may extend. \Vhile this device may be added to a system already es tablished, its greatest advantage is obtained by constructing it at the central station when the system is first established. Then it may be so located as to readily connect with new circuits in a manner to be always accessible and under cover, where splices may be conveniently examined by the line-man, and yet be concealed from public view. 3y building into the original system a series of these pins and bridge-wires, as shown in Figs. II and III, connected with each original circuit, provision is made for adding any number of new circuits or switch-boards to the system as future increase of business may demand. It will be observed that by this arrangement the wires 36serve as permanent connections from bridge to bridge, so that a new loop or circuit may be added to any bridge which is most convenient. Then cutting out that bridge-wire 3O completes the circuit through the new loop. In the same manner a series of pins, 34, connected by permanent wires 37, will serve to connect any number of new testlines. Such pins may also be connected with either the main circuit or the test-lines for the purpose of attaching ground-wires, &c.

The supports for permanently holding the parted ends of. the circuit-wire maybe termed the abutments of the bridge, and the rem ovable bridge-wire connecting these ends is like the draw-span of a draw-bridge. These abutments have a peculiar characteristic, to wit: the free ends 31 and 32, adapted for the at taclnnent of other line-wires or the two ends of a loop-wire. Though these free ends are here shown as the ends of fixed pins or abutments 26 and 27, it is evident that such free ends may be formed in various ways. But, however formed, such free ends projecting from a main-line wire near supports thereof and at each side of a removable bridge-wire, which connects the line-wire and adapted for the attachment of other line-wires, constitute prominent characteristics of this invention.

These bridges might be located in an anteroom of the central station, or in an adjoining building, or at a shop kept for repairs, or at any convenient point in the system, and they may be used for connecting in new switchboards, new apparatus of any suitable kind, or even for connecting a new system with an old one. It is further evident that the same device is applicable to other methods and systems of electric communication which come under the general head of telegraphing, and the description here given would apply as well to telegraphs as to telephones. It is also evident that in case of repairs being required on any circuit so connected to the system the bridge-wire may be quickly replaced and the working of the system not be interrupted, the bridge again to be removed when the repairs are completed. On this account it would be profitable to build this bridge between every circuit and the system.

These bridges may be connected with the parted ends of circuits by binding-screws or other known devices for forming removable electric connections between Wires; or the bridge wire may be actually out off and thrown aside when no longer required; but this would not be advisable in view of future repairs, which might demand its restoration. In Fig. III two switch-boards, 36 and 37, are shown, with two circuits, 42 and 43, thereon. 40 represents two complete bridges, or a bridge of two spans connected with circuit 43, and 41 shows another two-span bridge in circuit 42. 38 and 39 represent two new switch-boards, which are connected to the switch-boards 36 and 37 by the lines 42 and 43 passing over'tlie bridges 40 and 41. These two switch-boards were both added at the same time, so that only one span of each bridge is yet put in service and one span of each bridge yet remains for future additions. Thus a series of switch-boards maybe added to an existing system by using one span of a bridge for each existing circuit or line. Circuit 43, after crossing the switch-boards 36 and 37, is connected with one abutment of the first span of bridge 40, and it is extended from the opposite end 31 of the said abutment until it crosses both the new switchboards 38 and 39, when it returns to the end 32 of the opposite abutment. The bridgewire 30 has been disconnected at one end of this span, as shown, and the circuit is now completed by crossing the connection 36 to the next span of bridge 40, which it crosses 011 the bridge-wire 30 and reaches the annunciator 22 by the wire 29, whence it goes to the ground. It is evident that any number of spans or bridges may be connected with each circuit to facilitate the addition of new switch-boards, and each switch-board of an original system may at first be provided with more lines than there are circuits in service, each line having one of my bridges, whereby new circuits may be attached. The bridge shown in circuit 5 is open at one end waiting for the attachment of a new line.-

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following:

1. The combination, in a telephone system, of a multiple switch-board, an annunciator, a line-wire crossing the said board and supported upon a permanent abutment, a second abutment opposite the first one, a portion of the line-wire supported upon the second abutment and connected with the said annunciator, a removable bridge-wire connecting the two portions of line-wire from abutment to abutment, and a free end projecting from each line-wire near each abutment, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, in a telephone system, of a switch-board, an annunciator, a linewire crossing the said board and connected with the annunciator, two abutments supporting the line-wire between the switchboard and annunciator, each of which abutments is a pin electrically connected at one end with the line-wire and free at its other end for the attachment of other wires, and a removable bridge-wire electrically connecting the two portions of line-wire from abutment to abutment, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, in a telephone system, of a parted line-wire, fixed supports for the parted ends, and a removable bridge-wire electrically connecting the parted ends, and each of the said ends beingprovided with a free end, whereby another wire may be attached, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, in a telephone system, of a line-wire, two abutments supporting it,

and a removable bridge-ire electrically connecting the two portions of line-wire from abutment to abutment, the line-wire being provided with a free end at each side of the bridge-wire for attachingother wires, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination of a parted line-wire, abutinents' for supporting the parted ends, a bridge-wire electrically connecting the parted portions of the line-wire, and means for attaching other wires to the free ends of the line-wire, while the bridge-wire maintains electric connections between the said portions, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE SEYMOUR MAXWELL.

\Vitn esses:

H. N. GIFFORD, SAML. W. RUssELL. 

